This super green pasta was an unexpected delight. I had some white zucchinis fresh from the garden and was looking for ideas when I stumbled on this recipe by Adam Liaw published in The Sydney Morning Herald’s goodfood section. I used wholemeal (BioNature) linguini – delicious! Sauté 2½ cups of baby spinach leaves in 2-3…… Continue reading zucchini and spinach pasta
vegetarian japchae
Japchae (잡채) is a Korean dish of stir-fried sweet potato glass noodles. Savoury and slightly sweet, it always has vegetables and usually meat. In this version from Seonkyoung Longest, the meat is replaced by marinated shiitake mushrooms. Just delicious! Soak 10 to 12 dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes or until softened. Squeeze all the water out…… Continue reading vegetarian japchae
kimchi salmon + Korean cucumber salad
With only one pot and a few ingredients this tasty dish (from NYT Cooking recipe by Sarah DiGrigorio) is definitely a winner. Heat your oven to 205ºC (450ºF). In a pan or skillet that’s oven safe melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter with 1 tabelspoon of sesame oil over high heat. Wait until the butter…… Continue reading kimchi salmon + Korean cucumber salad
apple cake
Mary made this Italian country style cake from a Ray McVinnie recipe. It’s a batter cake chock full of apples. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350ºF) and grease and line a 23cm (9″) springform cake tin with baking paper. Beat 100g (3½ oz) of softened butter with 100g (3½ oz) of caster sugar until pale…… Continue reading apple cake
smoky eggplant ragu
You won’t miss the meat in this deliciously smoky and rich Italian sauce with walnuts added for texture. I served mine with ricotta gnocchi but any pasta or gnocchi will work. Use one large eggplant (aubergine). To get that smoky flavour, prick the skin a few times and blacken all over, either on a barbecue…… Continue reading smoky eggplant ragu
brown rice salad
This brown rice, pea and cucumber salad has a delicious lemony dressing and plenty of fresh mint. Good for you too! Cook 1½ cups of brown rice in a saucepan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water then leave to drain while you prepare the other ingredients. In a…… Continue reading brown rice salad
sausage and ricotta pasta bake
This is what I call comfort food! Eve made this from a very popular NYT recipe by Melissa Clark. Heat your oven to 220ºC (425F). Heat some olive oil in an ovenproof pan or skillet over medium-high. Crumble 350g (¾ of a lb) of Italian sausage (we used pork and fennel sausage) into a skillet…… Continue reading sausage and ricotta pasta bake
spiced rum Christmas cake
Now is the perfect time to make a fruit cake for Christmas – plenty of time to feed it rum! Adapted from this recipe by Laura from A beautiful PLATE. First chop 300g (2 cups) of dried apricots, 160g (1 cup) of unsweetened black figs, 160g (1 cup) of unsweetened sour cherries and 120g (¾ of a cup) of dried unsweetened…… Continue reading spiced rum Christmas cake
montadito
Montadito is Spanish for bread or toast with toppings, basically tapas on toast. These are excellent as pre-dinner nibbles or as a delectable lunch. Using fresh produce from the garden and served on lightly toasted sourdough rye bread, these four are from or inspired by the cookbook MORO easy by Sam and Sam Clarke. Pepper,…… Continue reading montadito
roast vegetables with orzo and olives
This makes a great meal on it’s own or serve it as part of a larger menu. From the wonderful cookbook MORO easy by Sam and Sam Clarke. Preheat your oven to 220ºC (435)F). In a roasting tray or dish with some depth combine 2 sliced zucchinis (courgettes), 1 quartered and sliced eggplant (aubergine), 1…… Continue reading roast vegetables with orzo and olives
michelle picker cooks 